Buffalo Bisons baseball – Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays

Advance Scout: Columbus Clippers

The Bisons posted a 5-3 mark against the Clippers last year. The teams split a four-game series at Coca-Cola Field (May 21-24) with Columbus taking the first two games and Buffalo winning the last two contests. Last season at Hunington Park, Buffalo dropped the opener before taking the final three games against Columbus last August (Aug. 6-9).

Clipper Quick ClipsTHE LAUNCHING PAD: The Clippers had their Huntington Park homer streak snapped at six games Sunday (homered in 19 of the last 22, 38HR) but added three more dingers Monday night. The PawSox failed to homer, Sunday for just the second game this season in which no long balls were hit at HP (5/31 vs.Louisville; 12 homerless games last season). With 20 games to play at HP, there have been 135 homers hit (130 hit all of last year).

TEAM EFFORT: Columbus leads the IL in hitting at .288 (14 points higher than 2nd place, Durham), but has only three players that qualify for the league batting title. Michael Brantley is currently leading the IL at .315, but is set to drop off the board after tonight’s game and Jose Constanza sits in a tie for 3rd (.307) after qualifying last night (Wes Hodges is the other qualifier).

CORD UNPLUGGED: Cord Phelps lost the longest active hitting streak in the IL (also a Clipper best) Monday at 13 games. Phelps has batted .408 (20×49) on the stretch, scoring 12 runs with 2HR and 4RBI. In his last 27 games, he has collected a hit in 25 of them (13 multi-hit games). Between Akron and Columbus, he is hitting .326 (106×325).

JB GETS JOB DONE: Jordan Brown picked up his 28th RBI with the bases loaded last night (15PA, 0HR) with a 2-run base knock. He leads the IL in bases loaded RBI this year (Durham’s Dan Johnson is in 2nd with 14 in 14PA, 1HR). Since 2005, only two IL players have had as many as 28RBI with the bases loaded in a season, Durham’s Justin Ruggiano in 2009 (17PA, 3HR) and Toeldo’s Mike Hessman in 2007 (19PA, 2HR).

2ND GO-AROUND: Since ending their affiliation with the Yankees after the 2006 season, the Clippers have seen 13 players wear a Columbus uniform with two different organizations. Saul Rivera, who pitched in one game for the Clippers in 2007 (Washington), became #13 with his appearance on 4/9. Shelley Duncan, who played in 12 games for the Clippers in 2006 (New York), was the 12th (4/8).

Looking back at Buffalo v Columbus in 2009
May 21: COL 6, BUF 4
The Bisons lose to the Clippers, the new Triple-A affiliate for the Cleveland Indians, 6-4. Sixteen former Bisons players return to Coca-Cola Field as members of Columbus. Javier Valentin hit his second home run of the season in the first inning for Buffalo.

May 22: COL 10, BUF 4
The Clippers jump out to a 9-0 lead after four innings to paste the Bisons, 10-4, at Coca-Cola Field. Jonathon Niese struggles in his return to the Bisons rotation, yielding 12 hits and nine runs in 3.2 innings. Nelson Figueroa rejoins the Bisons from New York and Michael Antonini is transferred to Binghamton before the game.

May 23: BUF 4, COL 3
Javier Valentin’s eighth inning home run unties a 3-3 game and gives the Bisons a 4-3 victory over the Clippers. The Herd gets another solid outing from Nelson Figueroa, who strikes out seven in six innings in his first start for the Bisons since May 10.

May 24: BUF 5, COL 3
The Bisons earn a split of their four-game series vs. Columbus thanks to a strong start from Fernando Nieve, who allows two runs in six innings and strikes out four.

August 6: COL 9, BUF 6
A late-innings Bisons rally falls short as Buffalo drops their sixth in a row, 9-6, against Columbus at Huntington Park. The Herd plates four runs in the eighth inning, highlighted by a two-run homer from Nick Evans, cutting the Clippers lead to 7-5. But two runs in the bottom half of the inning thwarts the comeback. Evans now boasts a 14-game road hitting streak.

August 7: BUF 4, COL 3
Three Bisons home runs account for all four runs as the Herd snap their six-game losing skid with a 4-3 victory over Columbus. Mike Lamb, Rene Rivera and Chip Ambres all hit home runs for Buffalo. Nick Evans’ 14-game road hit streak ends with an 0-for-3 night.

August 8: BUF 2, COL 1
Adam Pettyjohn strikes out seven and allows just six hits and no walks in eight scoreless innings as the Herd squeak past the Clippers, 2-1. Argenis Reyes and Jesus Feliciano pick up RBI for the Bisons.

August 9: BUF 12, COL 8
Robinson Cancel’s three-run homer caps a six-run sixth inning as the Herd out-slugs the Clippers, 12-8, to take the series and win their third straight. Five Bisons have multi-hit nights, including Nick Evans who goes 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in the first.

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